Kolkata: New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson said his side are prepared for the challenge of facing South Africa in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens on Wednesday, adding that the make-up of their playing eleven will be a little different for the crunch clash.
New Zealand are aiming to stop the unbeaten streak of South Africa and a win will take them to the final to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The Blackcaps have been boosted by the inclusion of pacer Matt Henry, who came back after attending the birth of his second child.
“Obviously different styles of cricket in Colombo, you had to use a lot of spinners, and the team makeup was slightly different, but nice to get the points and then find ourselves in a semi-final.
“Tonight we will know how good a bad wicket it is in India, especially this one, so the structure of the team will probably change a little bit, but the boys are up for the challenge. He’s always good. I’ve never seen him (Henry) down, so I’m sure he’ll go to the fitness test and hopefully all well for tonight,” said Ferguson in a pre-match chat with the broadcasters.
Asked about the advice given to him for acing the conditions in Eden Gardens with the ball, Ferguson said, “Lots of advice. I’ll save it for after the game. But no, look, I think a lot of the players have played here. It’s not too dissimilar to other Indian grounds.
“It’s a good batting track, quick outfield, so it’s important the boys, from a bowling point of view, hit good areas and try to create as much pressure as possible. We know these guys are going to come out hard. But at the same time, if we put the ball in a good area for long enough, we’ll get those rewards.”
Ferguson stated the occasion of playing the semi-final was special. “This is a game of cricket. We both start from zero. Obviously, it’s nice to play in the semifinals. It’s an exciting occasion.
“We know how challenging the South African side is and how many star players they have, but the boys are up to it. We’ve got a lot of firepower ourselves, so we’re looking forward to tonight.”
Kolkata, March 4 (IANS) Fast bowler Matt Henry has returned to New Zealand’s playing eleven as captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl first against South Africa in the first semi-final of 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
(IANS)
